Mermaids Aren't Real, Right?
by TalesForTheTimeBeing
Summary: Bobby has a simple task for Sam and Dean. No hunting. No killing. All they have to do is watch a mermaid. How hard can it be? The Winchesters are about to find out. (Takes place during Season 1 - 2005)
1. Chapter 1

**This isn't part of the story. I just wanted to say hi. This is my first ever fanfiction. I've seen other writers add disclosures to the beginning of their stories, so I'm going to do the same. I do not own any of the Supernatural characters. I am just borrowing them for the purpose of telling my story. Well, that's it. I hope you enjoy my story! I certainly enjoyed writing :)**

Chapter 1

Lina rests her head against the window as she gazes out at the night. She sits on a raised bed in her single dorm room watching the moonlight sparkle on a nearby lake. She glances down at the cellphone lying in her lap and checks the time again.

3:48 am

She sighs and runs her hands through her straight blond hair.

"Most people should be asleep by now," she whispers to herself.

She pauses momentarily in thought, and then quickly jumps off her bed. She grabs a bag of clothes by the door and snags a towel before leaving the building. Lina tiptoes down the stairs of her dorm building and swiftly rushes to the safety of the lake. She walks along the trees that surround the lake and keeps to the shadows for cover. After about fifteen minutes she comes to her usual spot. It is sheltered and fairly unknown to the other college students making it an ideal place for privacy. Lina hangs her towel and bag on a tree branch near the water's edge, and then turns to face the lake. She nervously bites her lip and begins digging the toe of her shoe into the soft ground.

"Should I really do this?" she asks herself aloud.

Lina ponders the decision for a moment as a slight breeze causes the surface of the lake to ripple. The water laps over her feet in a motherly gesture, almost willing her to step into its embrace. She shakes her head and steps back. _I can't do this. It's not safe_. She hitches the bag over her shoulder and walks away. Without realizing it, she drifts to the water. She gasps and reels backwards when her foot sinks into the mud. The cold liquid seeps into her shoes. Lina freezes and fixes her eyes on her shoes.

"I have to do this."

Lina changes direction and heads back to her spot. She places her towel and bag on the tree once again, but this time she begins to remove her clothes as well. She leaves an over sized t-shirt on and then heads to the water. She relishes the feel of the water on her bare skin as it caresses her feet. Lina smiles and walks into the water with her eyes closed. Once she is waist deep she stares up at the night sky and then dives under.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"A mermaid? Come on Bobby, that's ridiculous," Dean says with a snort. He turns to Sam and shakes his head before continuing the conversation, "Mermaids don't exist."

Sam strains to hear Bobby's reply on the other side of the phone. Dean sits on a bed across from him in the latest crappy motel they have graced their presence with. Seeing his struggle, Dean motions Sam to sit next to him and places the phone between their ears.

"... gotta lotta learnin' to do. Mermaids actually do exist. Me and another hunter have been watchin' one for a while now, but he was just called away for an emergency hunt. There's a vampire nest in Maine, a big one. They need all the help they can get. I'm gonna go with him to help out. I don't wanna leave the mermaid free to do whatever she pleases though. So I'm askin' ya'll to keep a watchful eye on her. Be careful though boys. We don't know much about mermaids. That's why me and the other hunter have been observing her. Come to my place and I'll show you everything I know."

Dean sighs and hangs his head backwards.

"Can't we just handle the vampire nest? You can stay here and watch Ariel," Dean replies.

Sam's mouth falls open in response to Dean's Little Mermaid reference. Dean's eyes widen and he quickly breaks eye contact with Sam before clearing his throat. Sam smiles to himself as Dean stammers on the phone.

"B-Bobby let me and Sam go to Maine."

"Dean, I wasn't askin'," Bobby says softly, but sternly. Sam hears the finality in Bobby's tone. Dean must hear it too because he sinks further into the bed and replies in defeat.

"Where is she?"

 **...**

"Thanks so much for comin' boys," Bobby says as Sam and Dean step out of the Impala. Sam smiles as he looks at the ramshackle house Bobby calls home.

"Glad to be here," Sam replies, "I don't think I could have taken Dean's singing much longer."

"You should be honored to witness my singing," Dean retorts with a grin.

"You boys don't change do you," Bobby mumbles to himself. He grunts and then motions Sam and Dean to follow him inside.

Once inside, Bobby immediately goes to his desk. The chaotic mess inside perfectly reflects the exterior. The pleasant framework of the house is littered with books and paper. Beer bottles and half eaten meals are the only evidence that someone actually lives in the disorganized mess.

"Here we go," Bobby grunts as he lifts a black binder from his desk. Multiple papers are sticking out of the binder and some fall when Bobby hands it to Dean.

"This is everything we know so far about the mer folk. I'll tell ya the basics though. We're almost positive that they have to swim everyday in order to sustain themselves. The one we're watching sneaks out of her dorm almost every night and swims in the lake on her college campus. As far as we can tell she doesn't possess any abilities, but we can't be positive. Other than her nightly swims she hasn't revealed much. Any questions?" Bobby finishes.

"Has she shown any aggressive behavior?" Sam asks after hearing Bobby's explanation.

"No, not yet," Bobby answers.

"Why are we watching her then? Shouldn't we give her the benefit of the doubt?" Sam questions.

"We don't have the liberty to take chances with monsters," Bobby answers quietly.

 _Why are hunters like this?_ Sam thinks, _Why..._

"Uh Bobby... Does she um... Does she have a tail?"

Sam snaps back to reality and stares at his brother. Dean's face becomes defensive.

"What? I'm just asking."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sam's heart constricts as the Impala cruises onto the college campus. _This is the life I left behind_. Thoughts of what could have been creep into his mind. He turns away from Dean to hide his expression. In the driver's seat Dean begins to ramble, oblivious to Sam's distress.

"College Sammy! Think we'll meet any college babes?" Dean sends Sam a devilish grin and elbows his side.

Sam returns the gesture with a strained smile, but it soon turns into a genuine one. Behind Dean's shallow façade Sam can see his concern. Dean knows how returning to a campus will affect him. He always knows. Sam's constricted heart swells with gratitude.

"Don't get any ideas you perv," Sam taunts. The only way he knows how to show his appreciation.

"It's my job to protect," Dean replies. His joking sounds less forced as he sees Sam relax.

"So what are we going to do? We don't have a case to go off of, and we can't just sit around a college campus looking at girls," Sam asks, getting down to business. Dean cruises into a vacant parking spot and turns to Sam.

"Why not? I don't see the probl–," Dean's sentence is cut short when a crowd of students suddenly rush past the parked Impala.

"What the hell?" Dean questions.

"Maybe we do have a case," Sam mumbles as he steps out of the car.

Dean wastes no time. He grabs the wrist of one of the students in the crowd. The boy jerks backwards and looks at Dean with a fearful expression. _Something really bad must have happened for a rock headed twenty-year-old boy to show emotion,_ Sam thinks. He follows Dean as he brings the petrified young adult to a less crowded area in the parking lot. Sam can see Dean loosen his grip as he becomes aware of the boy's demeanor.

"What's happening?" Dean asks in an urgent tone.

The student gasps for air before uttering any words.

"They f-found her... They found D-Denise... She's... Oh my god," he pauses and brings his hand to his mouth before continuing in a whisper, "She's dead."

Sam quickly jumps in to calm the frazzled boy.

"We're members of the FBI," Sam says softly as he shows the him his fake badge, "We were just contacted by your school. Could you please tell me what you know about Denise?"

"You guys got here fast," the student replies, momentarily putting his other emotions on hold.

"The FBI prides itself on efficiency. Now I would appreciate it if you answered my partner's question," Dean says in professional manner.

The boy looks at Sam and Dean with a slightly annoyed face, but eventually caves in and begins to speak.

"Everyone knows about Denise. She went missing two days ago. Most people thought she just ran away. You know, it was only a couple of days, but her friends were very adamant that something was wrong. I thought they were just overreacting, but now... Oh god."

"What's your name?" Sam asks.

"Anthony," he answers to the ground.

"Anthony, what happened to Denise?" Sam continues.

Anthony squirms uncomfortably and turns to Dean for solace from Sam's stare. Unfortunately he finds that Dean has the same determined expression. He sighs and replies.

"She was found by the lake... Drowned."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lina is walking back from class when she hears someone shout her name behind her. She turns around and sees her friend running towards her. Lina smiles instinctively and waves her hand. Her friendly greeting immediately freezes though when she sees tears streaming down her friend's face.

"Rachel, what's wrong!?" Lina screams. She quickly changes direction and runs towards her friend.

"Oh Lina," Rachel whimpers as she collapses in her arms, "They found her. They found Denise."

Lina's throat immediately constricts and she has a hard time forming words.

"W-what happened? Where's Denise?" Lina barely whispers.

Rachel remains silent and only clings tighter to Lina in response.

"Rachel?" Lina chokes as she feels a tear escape her eye.

Rachel shakes her head against Lina's shoulder. Lina hugs her trembling friend tighter as the truth becomes apparent. Denise is gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sam stares at the tall brick building in front of him. A large metal "C" is mounted to the front of it.

Sam and Dean spoke to the local law enforcement after they interrogated Anthony. They were given permission to view Denise's body, but first they decided to interview her friends.

"This is the building, right?" Sam asks his brother as he smooths out his black suit.

"Yep, this is it. Dorm building C," Dean says while glancing at a paper in his hand, "Denise lived on the second floor. It's also where our mermaid happens to live. What a coincidence."

Sam bites his tongue to stop himself from speaking out. He knows that Dean believes the mermaid murdered Denise. For some reason though Sam cannot accept it. He does not know why, but he knows that the girl is innocent.

Sam follows Dean to the second floor and waits behind him as he knocks on the door. A girl answers shortly with curly brown hair.

"Hi my name's Charlotte. I'm the RA for this floor. You must be the FBI agents. First of all, I want to thank you for coming. Denise was a friend to all of us," Charlotte pauses and tucks a piece of hair behind her ear before continuing, "Uh, I called all the girls into the common room. If you want to interrogate them individually you are welcome to use my room. It's the first door on the left."

"Thank you," Sam and Dean say in unison. They enter the floor and walk towards the common area. The RA stutters and softly grabs Dean's shirt.

"Um, just be gentle please. Some of the girls are really upset."

"Of course, Charlotte. We understand," Sam replies with a smile and Dean nods.

Charlotte nods her head in return and leads Sam and Dean to the common room where about fifteen girls are squished onto a couple of couches and chairs.

"We are deeply sorry for your loss. I'm Nathaniel, and this is my partner David," Sam says gesturing to Dean, "We have been assigned Denise's case. I know it is difficult for some of you to speak right now, but any details you give us will be immensely helpful. Would anyone like to talk first?"

Sam's eyes scan the room and immediately fall onto a group of girls huddled together in a corner. At the right side of their small circle is the mermaid. Sam recognizes her from the picture Bobby showed him. She is a petite girl with long blonde hair and pale skin. Sam feels Dean stiffen beside him, and he can only assume that his brother spotted the mermaid too.

None of the girls seem ready to talk. So Sam and Dean divide the girls into two groups and question them both. They send away the girls who were only acquaintances of Denise and decide to interview her closer friends individually.

"Lina, would you mind following us?" Dean says as he leads her to the RA's room.

Sam and Dean positioned three chairs in the small room. Sam and Dean take the two chairs next to each other and gesture for Lina to have a seat across from them. The RA's brightly poster-filled walls contrast the somber mood.

"Once again, I'm sorry for your loss," Sam begins, "Was Denise a friend of yours?"

"Yes, I met her this year on my floor. I didn't know her before then," Lina answers quietly.

Sam studies her intently. Her grief appears genuine. He quickly glances at Dean and sees his jaw set in a defiant manner. His brother still thinks she's the culprit.

"We heard from an outside source that you and your friends immediately thought something was wrong when Denise went missing. Could you elaborate on this?" Dean questions.

Lina casts her eyes down and shuffles her feet uncomfortably. Her face is down-turned, but Sam spots a tear slide down her cheek.

"Well, Denise is… was clinically depressed. We were worried she might try to…" Lina pauses and covers her mouth. Her tears fall steadily now, leaving spots on her jeans.

"Had Denise ever attempted suicide before?" Sam probes.

"No, no. She was managing her symptoms well. I just, I can't believe this happened," Lina breathes in deeply and lets out a shaky sigh, "She was doing so well."

"Where were you last night?" Dean suddenly asks.

Sam shoots him an annoyed look, but quickly conceals it when Lina looks towards them in surprise.

"You don't think I had anything to do with this, do you?" She asks wide-eyed.

"We just have to collect as much information as possible," Sam quips before Dean has a chance to comment.

 _ **Please come quickly**_

Sam gasps as the words suddenly force themselves into his head. He grunts and drops his head to his knees. _What was that? Those weren't my thoughts_ , Sam thinks, _It wasn't a vision either. I only heard words_.

"S-Nathaniel, are you okay?" Dean asks as he places a hand on Sam's back. His eyes are round with concern.

"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry about that," Sam responds. He shrugs Dean's hand away and sits up straight. He's telling the truth too. Besides a dull ache in his head he feels perfectly normal. When Sam returns his gaze to Lina he finds that she's already staring at him.

"I believe you were telling us where you were last night," Sam says trying to break her uncomfortable gaze.

"Yes… um, I was up doing homework pretty late and then I went to bed," Lina says to Dean, though she keeps shifting her eyes to Sam. Sam is about to ask her more questions, but Dean beats him to it, speaking in a fast-paced tone.

"Thank you Lina, I think we have enough information for today. If you think of anything else don't hesitate to call us." Dean hands Lina a fake business card, and nearly shoves her out the door. Lina just rounds the corner back to the common area when Dean unloads on Sam.

"Okay, what the hell was that?" Dean demands, "Was it a vision? Are you really okay?"

Sam sprints to the open door and shuts it for privacy. He then sits in the chair across from Dean.

"I'm okay really, and no it wasn't a vision. It was…" Sam's words taper off and he stares down at his hands. _What was it? Random words?_

"It was…?" Dean interrupts impatiently.

"I don't know. I heard words in my head," Sam says slowly, immediately regretting the way he worded it.

"You're hearing voices? I don't think that's a good thing, Sammy," Dean replies half mocking, half serious.

Sam remains silent, contemplating the turn of events when Dean clears his throat loudly.

"So? What did you hear?" Dean says rather loudly. Sam puts his finger to his lips, and motions his brother to be quiet.

"Calm down, Dean. All I heard were the words, 'Please come quickly.'"

Dean scratches his head and repeats Sam.

"Please come quickly? What does that mean? Do you think someone's in trouble?"

"I'm not sure," Sam replies out loud, and truthfully he does not know.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Lina can sense the urgency in David's voice when he hands her his business card and ushers her out of the room. She walks slowly down the hallway and faintly hears the agents conversing.

"Okay, what the hell was th–"

Their conversation is muffled when the RA's door slams shut. Lina looks down at the small card in her hand. Something was off with those two. They accused her right off the bat, like they already had the preconception that she was involved. Maybe they are treating all of Denise's friends like suspects. It was more than that though. She noticed both of them stare at her when they entered the room, like they were looking for her. That is not even the strangest thing. The tall one with the long hair… Nathaniel, he… he heard her.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Well that's creepy," Dean mutters with a slightly disturbed look on his face.

"Yeah, you can say that again," Sam agrees.

Sam and Dean look down at the corpse of Denise in both awe and horror. There is no mistaking the uncanny resemblance. With Denise's long blonde hair and small features she could easily be mistaken as Lina's twin.

"Hm, better file that one away for the records," Dean says before putting on rubber gloves. Sam follows his suit and begins to investigate the body.

"Well there's no doubt that she drowned considering the amount of fluid they had to drain from her lungs when she got here," Sam infers.

"Mhm, and I'd say the ominous hand marks on her ankles also help support her case," Dean adds nonchalantly.

"Hand marks?" Sam stutters. He was so focused on the medical reports that he had not even noticed the bluish purple marks encircling both ankles.

"I think we can rule out suicide," Dean says sending a sideways glance to Sam.

"Yeah," Sam breathes, "Dean I know what you're thinking. I don't think Lina's responsible for this."

Dean sighs and fully turns towards Sam.

"We were sent to this campus to watch a mermaid and when we get here we find out that a girl drowned, and on closer inspection we find out that she was dragged under water by her ankles. Can you please tell me how any of those facts would conclude something other than a psycho-mermaid?"

"I know how it looks, but I just don't think it's her," Sam says hopelessly knowing that he has no evidence to back up his assumptions, "It's just a gut feeling."

Dean drops his stubborn façade momentarily and regards Sam with sympathy.

"Sam we have to look at the facts, and all the facts point towards the mermaid."

"What about the voice I heard," Sam almost pleads.

"Maybe you heard Denise's last thoughts before she was pulled under, I don't know," Dean's shoulders drop and he shakes his head, "Sam I'll listen to what you have to say, but you have to give me more than just a gut feeling."

Sam nods his head slowly, knowing that his brother is right. Dean stares warily at Sam.

"Okay, why don't we finish this autopsy?" Dean finally says.

Sam can only nod his head. His thoughts wander as he inspects the body. _Something is off about this case. It's almost as if the facts point to Lina too easily._


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The autopsy of Denise did not provide any surprising details. It is clear that the girl drowned. How she drowned still remains a mystery. After the autopsy, Sam and Dean returned to the college campus to gather some more information about Denise's schedule and classes.

"Let's head back to the motel and get some shut eye. We'll be up most of the night watching the mermaid," Dean grunts as he walks out of the student records office towards the campus parking lot.

Sam nods his head in agreement. He opens his mouth to reply, but falls silent when two girls walk by.

"I heard it was him. He drowned her," a girl with short black hair whispers to her friend. The girl walking besides her shakes her head and laughs. Her wavy brown hair bounces as she giggles.

"Come on Melanie, that's ridiculous."

"It's just like the legend though."

Sam's feet immediately cement to the ground and his eyes widen. Dean's already a few steps ahead of him and he turns around when he notices Sam is no longer behind him.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Dean asks, his exasperation clearly showing.

Sam does not bother to answer. Instead he turns around and rushes to the girls. They are still arguing when he catches up to them.

"Hi, I'm sorry. FBI," Sam quickly says as he whips out his badge. The girls stare at the badge and then back at Sam in confusion. Before they have time to speak, Sam continues. At this point Dean has reached his side.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation about Denise. You said, 'He drowned her.' Who are you referring to?"

The brunette's face blushes crimson and she stutters a response.

"Oh no, no. We were just joking. It's just a story. Don't list–," the girl's words are cut short when her friend interrupts her.

"It's not a story," Melanie demands, "It's true."

"Could you please explain the story or legend you're referring too?" Sam asks as his interest peaks.

Melanie clears her throat and begins speaking in a low voice.

"Well legend has it that the founder of our school, Henry Peterson, was against women going to college. Until recently, two years ago to be exact, this was an all boys' school. In order to accommodate the female influx, they had to build more housing. The construction started last year due to a budgeting issue. That's when strange things started happening," she pauses and looks at both Sam and Dean, making sure they're still paying attention, and then continues, "It's said that strange occurrences happen in the girls' dormitories. Weird sounds fill the halls. Doors open and close. It's also said that there's a handprint in one of the rooms that keeps appearing no matter how many times they paint over it. It seems only logical to conclude that Peterson would drown one of the female students to enact his revenge."

"What room is the handprint in?" Dean asks.

Melanie's foreboding expression falters, but she quickly composes herself.

"Well I'm not sure, but it's real. I've seen it."

"Mhm," Dean nods is head, "Well thanks for the information girls. Nathaniel, let's go."

Dean grabs Sam's arm and drags him away. Once they reach the Impala, Dean faces him with an obvious expression on his face.

"That girl was full of it. I have no doubt that she made the whole thing up. All she was missing was a flashlight illuminating her face."

"It's still worth checking," Sam says quietly.

"Alright, you can check her phony story while I sleep."

With that Dean climbs into the Impala. Sam stares at the girls' backs for a moment and then joins his brother.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"So how did Melanie's story check out?" Dean asks smugly. Sam tries to think of a comeback to defend himself, but he knows any attempt is futile. His voice is barely audible when he murmurs his response.

"Henry Peterson's wife was a feminist, and from all accounts Peterson fully supported the movement."

"What did I tell you? That girl's a fake," Dean rubs in. He must see Sam's defeated demeanor though because he quickly changes his tone.

"Why don't you get some sleep? We'll head out in a few hours." Sam doesn't have time to sleep though. Instead, he starts reciting all the information he collected while Dean was sleeping.

"Dean, I was looking up some more information related to the case. First of all, in all the mermaid lore I found the mermaid, or siren, lures a _man_ into the water before drowning him. Denise doesn't fit the profile."

"Dude, it's the 21st century. I think mermaids are allowed to break gender roles," Dean retorts. Sam ignores his brother and keeps talking.

"Also I learned that before the college was erected the land was owned by a fishing company. Apparently, there were many accidents onsite and the company was shut down due to safety violations."

"So…" Dean begins.

"So that's the perfect situation to create an angry spirit. Maybe Peterson's not haunting the grounds, but another spirit could be. Maybe it was released when they started construction," Sam finishes breathlessly.

"That's a bit far-fetched don't you think?" Dean responds.

"Any more far-fetched than a mermaid?" Sam counters.

Dean grunts and turns away from Sam. He rubs is face with his hands and sighs loudly.

"Okay fine. While we're watching the mermaid you can investigate this little theory of yours." Dean gives in.

Sam smiles and is about to thank Dean, but his brother was not done speaking.

"Sam I trust your judgment, but I think your conscience is getting in the way of reality."

"Thanks Dean," Sam replies. His genuine gratitude now sounds sarcastic.

"You're welcome," Dean says. He sits in silence for a moment and then claps his hands together.

"Well if you don't want to sleep we better head to the school. It's almost midnight."

"Alright," Sam mutters. He yawns and rubs his eyes. Tonight's going to be a long night.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"I feel like a stalker," Sam whispers. Both Sam and Dean are crouched in the thick brush surrounding the lake. It is nearly three in the morning and they have seen no evidence of Lina.

"Why did Bobby shove this case on us? I'd rather be hunting vampires," Dean replies disgruntled, "There's a bar down the street with my nam–," he immediately falls silent when a flash of blonde hair dashes to the tree line.

"There she is," Sam murmurs.

Sam and Dean creep along the lake, making sure to keep a safe distance between them and Lina. She walks for about a mile before coming to a small sheltered area. She hangs a towel and bag on a low tree branch and then begins removing her clothes. Sam turns away and has to physically turn Dean's face away. Dean bats Sam's hand away and looks at him with an offended expression.

"What do you think I am a pervert?" Dean whispers before closing his mouth and shrugging, "Well I'm not that bad."

Sam rolls his eyes and then focuses on Lina who is now in a large t-shirt. She walks to the shore and dips her feet into the water. She moves to take another step forward, but immediately freezes. She steps back and whips her head around like she's looking for someone. After a couple of seconds her eyes land on the group of trees Sam and Dean are hiding in.

"Hm. You don't think she can see us, do you?" Dean mumbles beside Sam.

"Well–," Sam starts.

 _ **Hello?**_

Sam inhales sharply and scrunches his brow in pain.

"Sam? Did something happen?" Dean immediately questions.

"I heard the voice again," Sam says softly, "It said, hello."

"It said hello? Well it's certainly not Denise then," Dean mutters. He purses his lips and looks towards Lina. She's still staring at their hiding spot.

"You don't think–," Dean begins.

 _ **WHO ARE YOU!?**_

This time Sam gasps louder. The words scream painfully and push against his skull. The question echoes harshly, each echo causing his head to throb more. Sam grips the soft earth roughly and groans. He can barely hear Dean's words, but is comforted by his brother's hand on his back.

"Please stop," Sam pleads, directing the comment to the voice in his head. He feels Dean withdraw instead.

"That's enough," Dean whispers angrily. Sam hears rustling and looks up just in time to see Dean crashing through the trees straight towards Lina.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The minute Lina steps into the water she experiences the undeniable feeling that she is being watched. She backs away to the safety of the trees and looks around. Only a few moments pass until she notices a soft glow near a group of trees. Lina is well aware of what the glow means. She has seen it multiple times during her nightly swims. The light often surrounds fish and turtles. In other words, it signifies animal life. She swallows loudly and squints her eyes. There is definitely someone there. She decides to project her thoughts towards the light. Maybe it is just an animal or a college student.

 _ **Hello?**_

Lina shifts uncomfortably as she forces her words towards the light. It is as if the thoughts do not want to be heard though. With mermaids the words glide easily, like a breeze moving through an open window. With humans or other animals that window is closed. This is different though. It is like the window is open a crack. She can force the words in, but it is not easy. The sensation feels familiar. Where has she felt this? Her eyes widen as the realization hits her.

"The FBI agent," she whispers incredulously.

 _ **WHO ARE YOU!?**_

She screams her thoughts and harshly shoves them towards the agent hoping to scare him away. She hears a soft groan and feels a stab of guilt. Suddenly a loud sound rattles the forest. She looks nervously to her left and sees the trees shaking violently. She backs slowly towards her clothes. Just when she removes her towel from the branch a man bursts through the trees and tackles her. She hits the ground harshly and the air is knocked out of her lungs.

 _ **HELP MOM! HELP!**_

She cries helplessly, hoping her mom can hear her. The man turns her around so she is on her back and pins her to the ground. She opens her eyes and is shocked to find the other FBI agent. His eyes are filled with rage and his mouth is set in a grim line.

"Stop you monster!" he screams.

Lina's tears cascade down her cheeks.

 _ **HELP ME! PLEASE HURRY!**_

The man pulls a gun from his back pocket and firmly places it against her temple.

"I know what you are," he snarls, "So you better listen to me mermaid."

"Hunters," Lina whispers in terror.

 _ **MOM THEY'RE HUNTERS! OH GOD! HELP!**_

"You better stop whatever you're doing to my brother," he whispers dangerously.

"What?" Lina replies weakly.

The man's eyes flare with anger and he opens his mouth to speak again, but a crash behind him renders him silent.

"Dean… p-please… for the love of god… s-stop," a man's voice utters, "I hear…everything.

The man, who Lina assumes is named Dean, pulls a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and cuffs her wrist to a large root protruding from the ground. Dean then lifts her chin and stares directly at her before talking.

"Don't try to escape because I will find you, and next time I won't be so kind."

She nods her head quickly. He stares at her for a few moments longer and then moves to the figure lying on the ground.

"Sam? Sammy? Are you okay?" Dean asks tenderly. Lina stares in amazement at the sudden change in the man. Just moments ago he was about to shoot her head off and now he is practically nursing this man.

"Oh god Sammy, your nose is bleeding," Dean mutters. The anxiety in his voice is clearly evident. Lina leans to the side to get a better look at the FBI agent, or Sam. She gasps when she sees the man's face. It is covered with sweat and mud. His hair clings to his face and a red trail of blood starts at his nose and goes all the way down to his neck. _Did I cause this?_ Lina thinks in distress.

"Dean…" Sam starts.

"Shh, just relax," Dean says as he takes a small rag out of his pocket. He wipes the blood from Sam's face, but dried bits of it still remain.

Lina moves her wrist warily, but it is no good. The root will not budge. She glances at Sam and Dean and then calls for her mom again. She closes her eyes and tries to send her thoughts as loudly as possible.

 _ **MOM, PLEASE HURRY! THEY'RE HUNTERS. THEY HANDCUFFED ME TO A TREE!**_

Almost immediately Sam writhes in pain. She quickly opens her eyes in shock. _I don't understand, I sent those thoughts to my mom,_ Lina thinks. Fresh blood pours from Sam's nose and he clutches his head with both hands.

"Oh god, Sam!" Dean screams frantically. He puts his arms under Sam's back and raises him into a sitting position. He rests him against a tree and begins blotting Sam's face with the blood soaked rag. Sam inhales harshly. After a couple of seconds his body relaxes and he releases a ragged sigh. Lina stares at Sam wide-eyed. His face is void of all color and the red blood makes him look like a ghost. Sam closes his eyes and leans his head against the tree. Dean places his hand on Sam's face and then pulls away.

"Sam. Sammy?" Dean says softly waiting for Sam to open his eyes.

"Mhm," Sam mumbles and opens his eyes to slits.

"Sam you have a fever. We need to get you out of here." Dean continues.

Sam nods his head and then shifts his eyes towards Lina. Lina tries to convey through her eyes how sorry she is. Then Dean turns around and looks at her. His eyes show nothing but hate.

"Dean…" Sam says weakly, "Leave her alone."

Dean's angry gaze falters and he turns to Sam. Lina stares at them, but it seems that they are communicating silently.

Suddenly, Lina feels pressure on her left ankle. She looks down, but nothing is there. She tries to move her foot, but it will not budge. _That's strange_ , she thinks. Lina tries to move her foot again, but it is frozen. _Wait, what is that?_ She looks closely. A faint red mark is surrounding her ankle. Her eyes widen. It looks like a hand. Lina gasps loudly, but neither Sam nor Dean pays any attention to her distress. Then her ankle begins moving towards the water. She opens her mouth to scream, but the sound gets caught in her throat. Then without warning her ankle jerks harshly towards the lake. Her whole body shifts towards the lake and her back scrapes against the ground. The only thing preventing her from being dragged into the lake is her handcuffed wrist. She groans loudly and she feels that her wrist may be dislocated.

"Lina!" Sam screams.

Another hand grasps Lina's right ankle and pulls violently. The tree root is torn from the earth and she flies towards the lake. Her body is roughly dragged along the ground and she cringes when her feet come in contact with the water.

"Help," Lina whispers. She looks towards Sam. Though to her dismay she finds Dean pointing a shotgun at her instead.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Lina squeezes her eyes shut and waits for the gunfire.

 _ **I love you mom**_

She hears Dean pull the trigger and a loud explosion vibrates the air. _This is it,_ Lina thinks. She remains on the ground with her eyes closed waiting for the searing pain, but nothing happens. All of a sudden, an arm grabs her wrist and pulls her away from the lake. She opens her eyes and looks up to see Dean dragging her towards the forest.

"You know you could use your legs," Dean mumbles.

Lina wrenches her arm from Dean's grip and kicks at his ankles as hard as she can.

"Hey!" Dean screams as he falls face first.

Lina scrambles away on her knees and then rises to her feet.

"Wait!" Sam screams, but Lina is already running.

Lina sprints as fast as she can into the forest. Tree branches slap her face and the wind whips around her. Loud footsteps crash behind her. Dean must be trailing her. She hears gunfire and almost instantly feels something shatter on her back.

 _ **I'm shot**_

Lina falls to the ground. Her breathing is erratic and shaky, and she feels herself break out in a cold sweat. From her position on the ground she sees Dean run over to her. She watches as he takes out a small cloth and pours a liquid on it. She tries to crawl away, but her entire body is numb.

"Sorry about this… well not really," Dean says as he clamps the cloth over her mouth. Lina gags as she breaths in the toxic smell. She weakly tries to hit Dean, but he easily dodges her feeble attempts. The corners of her vision become fuzzy and in a matter of seconds everything goes black.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"Dean, did you shoot her?" Sam demands when he sees Dean emerge from the trees with Lina in his arms. Dean walks over and stops in front of Sam.

"Can you walk?" Dean asks.

Sam slides onto his knees and then rises into a standing position. He wobbles momentarily, but with the aid of a tree he regains his balance. Dean nods his head and then walks in front of him. Sam quickly grabs Lina's towel and bag and then rushes to catch up to Dean.

"Dean! Did you shoot Lina?!" Sam asks again. Dean remains silent for a moment before answering.

"I guess."

"You guess?!" Sam nearly screams.

"Sam, calm down. It was only rock salt," Dean speaks unconcerned, "I wouldn't have been able to catch up with her otherwise."

Sam has the sudden urge to punch the back of Dean's head. He sighs and rubs both hands over his face. His breath catches in his throat when he sees Lina's hair hanging over Dean's arm.

"Dean, are we really going to kidnap this girl?"

"Yep," Dean says matter-of-factly, "We're going to Bobby's house." He then comes to an abrupt stop causing Sam to walk right into him.

"Dude," Sam mutters. Dean ignores his words and turns around to speak to him.

"If I wanted her dead I wouldn't have shot the spirit that was dragging her into the lake. Anyway, we're not kidnapping her. We're locking her up so she doesn't get in the way."

"Get in the way of what?" Sam questions.

"Destroying the spirit of course," Dean replies, "Turns out you were right little brother."

"I was?" Sam responds, shocked at his brother's acknowledgement.

"Let's head to Bobby's house and then we'll talk more. I have a lot of questions for you," Dean grunts as he lifts Lina over his shoulder and continues walking forward, "She might look small, but she's not as light as you'd think."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The Impala hums as Dean turns onto Bobby's driveway. Sam looks out the window and sees the morning sunlight penetrating the clouds.

 _ **Where am I?**_

Sam flinches at the familiar feeling. He tries to conceal his pain, but Dean immediately notices it.

"Sam?" Dean says cautiously.

"She's awake" Sam replies, not even bothering to check the backseat. Dean on the other hand parks the Impala and swings around.

"Well, it looks like she's pretending to sleep," Dean responds to Sam, then he speaks to Lina, "Hey! We know you're awake."

Lina remains still with her eyes closed, but her ruse is given away when a tear escapes her closed lid.

 _ **What are you going to do to me?**_

Sam grunts and puts his hand to his head. He ignores Dean's concerned stare and turns to speak to Lina.

"Lina, would you mind speaking out loud. This whole… telepathic thing is really uncomfortable for me," Sam drops his hand and sighs, "I guess you probably don't care if I'm comfortable or not though."

"Tele-what?" Dean demands.

"Just…"

 _ **YOU BETTER LET ME OUT!**_

 _ **MOM! HELP ME!**_

 _ **I'LL KEEP SCREAMING SAM!**_

 _ **MOM!**_

 _ **LINA! I'm at your college! I've been calling you for hours! WHERE ARE YOU!**_

 _ **OH MOM, THANK GOD!**_

Ah shi-," Sam barely mumbles before he doubles over.

"Sam!" Dean screams.

Sam can barely hear Dean. The conversation between Lina and her mom is the only thing he can hear. Sam tries to look at Dean, but his vision is blurry and hazy. The back and forth motion of the conversation consumes his senses and forces his own thoughts into the back of his mind. Sam can barely form a coherent thought. _I… I need… what…what do I…?_

Sam

Sammy

"De–," Sam wheezes through his fast-paced breathing. He reaches over and clutches Dean's arm harshly.

"Help," Sam utters softly. His head falls backwards on the car seat and lolls to the side. His vision is starting to darken, and he can feel something wet drop onto his neck.

Sam hears the car door open, and then another door opens. He feels someone kick his seat, and is vaguely aware of someone yelling. _What… what's happening?_ He tries to turn around, but his head feels like it is made of lead. The conversation in his head continues. The words sound frantic now. _What… who's talking…?_ After about a minute Sam realizes how empty his surroundings feel.

"Dean?" Sam whispers. He waits in the silence, but no one responds.

 _ **THE HUNTER'S TAKING ME SOMEWHERE**_

 _ **HANG ON LINA. I'M GOING TO FIND YOU, I PROMISE**_

 _ **OH GOD…WHAT IS THIS PLACE.**_

 _ **LINA I'M COMING**_

… _ **Mom, I love you**_

 _ **LINA STOP.**_

 _ **LINA?**_

 _ **LINA**_

 _ **LINA!**_

 _ **No**_

The last thing Sam is aware of before he passes out is how silent everything is.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Sam"

"Sam. Can you hear me?"

 _Who's talking to me?_ Sam thinks. He turns away from the voice, and pulls the covers up. _Wait. Why am I in a bed? Where am I?_ Sam scrunches his eyebrows and rolls over. _Wait… Lina!_

Sam bolts up in bed and sways a little from the quick motion. An arm reaches out to steady him. Sam looks to his right and sees Dean sitting on a chair next to the bed.

"Take it easy bro," Dean says softly. He hands Sam a glass of water and eases him into a sitting position. Sam drinks some of the water and feels Dean's eyes on him the whole time. _Why is he acting so weird?_ Sam places the cup on the nightstand, and takes a moment to survey his surrounds.

"You're in Bobby's room," Dean says quickly, probably noticing Sam's confused expression.

"Okay," Sam says slowly. _Why am I here?_

"What do you remember?" Dean asks.

"What?" Sam responds startled. _Why would his brother ask such a strange question?_ "Dean, are you okay? You're acting a little strange."

Dean jerks his head back and stares at Sam dumfounded.

"You're really asking if _I'm_ okay?" Dean responds in shock.

"Well yeah you're being weir–," Sam's sentence trails off as he looks down at his shirt. _This isn't my shirt_. _This looks like one of Bobby's_. Sam looks around the room and sees Dean's duffle bag on the ground. A couple shirts have been taken out. He then looks at Dean. He is wearing a blue shirt. _I could've sworn he was wearing a black one today. He didn't want Lina to see him when…_ Sam's eyes widen.

"Lina," Sam whispers, "Dean what did you do to her?"

"Sam, I want to know if you're okay." Dean responds clearly ignoring his question.

"Dean, where's Lina?" Sam repeats. Dean sighs and brings both hands to his face. His shoulders drop, and when he removes his hands he stares directly at Sam.

"When are you going to put your own life in front others, or in this case monsters?" Dean says angrily.

"Dea–," Sam starts, but Dean cuts him off.

"No Sam, do you realize what happened? It… _Lina_ , almost killed you. I found you unconscious in the car. Your shirt was covered in blood and you were barely breathing. I had to carry you into the house. You've been unconscious for nearly a day with a wicked fever and the first words out of your mouth are where's Lina?"

Sam's eyes drop to his lap in an effort to avoid Dean's glare. He remembers now. Sam recalls the assault of voices from Lina and her mother. He also remembers the complete silence before he passed out. He takes a deep breath and tries to explain himself to Dean.

"Dean, Lina's not purposely hurting me. She communicates telepathically, I guess with other mermaids. For some reason I can hear her, and it's really painful. Like a vision, I guess. I think I'm just sensitive to these kinds of things."

Dean presses his lips together into a rigid line. He looks like he is considering Sam's words, but does not want to accept them. After a few minutes he releases a defeated breath and speaks to Sam.

"I put the mermaid in the panic room. It seems to have cut off her… telepathic abilities. Also since you were being lazy and sleeping I had to take on the responsibility of researching the spirit at the college."

Sam smiles. That's Dean, changing the topic to something they know best. Hunting.

"So what did you find?" Sam asks.

"Well like you found earlier, the school was built on land that used to be owned by a fishing company. It was called Ocean Delicacies. Sounds pretty fancy, right? Well it wasn't. The company was actually sued multiple times and had many run-ins with the FDA, which eventually led to its shutdown in 1973. The land was bought by Henry Peterson in 1981, and was transformed into an all boys' college. Two years ago, in 2003, the college began accepting female students. They began constructing more dormitories shortly after."

"Yeah, I know all of this," Sam replies. Dean holds up his hands and raises his eyebrows.

"I wasn't finished Sammy. Did you know there was an old shed left from Ocean Delicacies on the campus?"

"No," Sam starts slowly.

"And did you know that they knocked down that shed to build more housing for the female students?" Dean asks smugly.

"No… do you know anything about the shed?" Sam asks. Dean smiles and slaps Sam's back before answering.

"Spoken like a true hunter. I had to do some deep digging, but what I found was well worth the search," Dean pauses and takes out a piece of computer paper, "This is from the contract between Ocean Delicacies and Henry Peterson. 'I, Jeremy Flanders, former owner of Ocean Delicacies, hereby relinquish ownership of my land to Henry Peterson for the purpose of erecting a college under these conditions. One, the college must be an all boys' school. Two, the small building on the northwestern part of the campus must remain intact. These terms must be kept after ownership of the land is transferred…' yada yada yada. Then it goes into financial crap."

Sam squints his eyes in concentration before speaking to his brother.

"The college violated the contract then."

"It didn't actually. The contract expired with the death of Flanders. Flanders never had any children so the contract was declared null and void. That's why the college was able to accept female students."

"Do you know what Flanders had against women?" Sam asks.

"Not women. Mermaids," Dean replies with a smile showing how proud he is of his research.

"Wait, what?" Sam replies in disbelief.

"Flanders' father, Benjamin, died in 1970 at the age of 63. The reports indicate that he drowned in the ocean by the factory. Jeremy was the one who found his father's body washed up on shore. The autopsy didn't indicate any foul play so his death was ruled as an accidental drowning. Jeremy didn't accept that though. He said, quote, 'My father was a strong swimmer, the best I knew. He didn't drown. The ocean's maidens took him.'"

"Ocean's maidens… mermaids!" Sam blurts out, "I can't believe I missed that." Dean smiles proudly and replies.

"Maybe you're not as good at research as you thought."

"I did only have about three hours to research, and most of that time was spent researching Melanie's story," Sam counters defensively.

Dean shrugs his shoulders and frowns.

"Anyway, Jeremy kind of dropped off the radar after his father's death. When do you think the safety violations occurred at the factory?" Dean continues.

"I'm guessing between 1970 and 1973," Sam replies.

"Exactly. You know what the violations were? Unsanitary working conditions. Flanders started painting strange symbols all over the factory, and was disregarding all safety codes. He also began spending long periods of time in the shed," Dean responds.

"How do you know all of this?" Sam asks.

"I found a co-worker of Flanders, an ex-girlfriend to be exact," Dean responds with a grin, "I briefly spoke to her on the phone. I was actually going to visit her today. Said I was a high school friend of Flanders and she bought it."

"Today? What time?" Sam questions. Dean holds up his wrist and looks at an imaginary watch.

"Like right now. Do you wanna go? How do you feel?" Dean asks.

Sam brushes Dean's concern away and sits up straighter.

"I feel fine. Let's go," Sam replies as he rolls his eyes. He swings his legs over the side of the bed and takes a deep breath. Dean leans over and holds his arms out for Sam. Sam looks at his brother's outstretched hands and exhales sharply through his nose.

"I can stand on my own Dean," Sam mutters annoyed as he pushes Deans hands away.

Sam slowly rises to his feet. The room sways momentarily, but after a few moments everything becomes stable. Sam looks down at the twisted bed sheets. Sweat stains and small amounts of dried blood decorate the usually white bedspread. He swallows loudly and instantly feels a stab of guilt for his treatment of Dean. Sam had not realized he'd been that sick. He briefly glimpses at Dean and sees his brother quickly avert his eyes. Sam opens his mouth to apologize for his behavior, but the words get stuck in his throat. _Damn_ , he thinks, _why do I always manage to let Dean down?_ Sam clears his throat and heads to the doorway. He walks down a narrow hallway to the staircase. As he walks down the stairs he hears Dean's footsteps behind him. When he gets to the bottom of the stairs he takes a left and heads to the basement door. Dean begins talking, unaware that Sam turned left.

"I forgot to tell you Flanders has a sis–," Dean pauses and then calls out in a confused tone, "Uh, Sammy the front door is straight ahead not to the left."

Sam remains silent and quickens his pace down the hall. The air is still for a moment before the clamoring of feet vibrates the house.

"Sam!" Dean roars behind him.

Sam winds the corner and barrels down the basement stairs. In a matter of seconds he finds himself standing before the panic room door. He involuntarily begins to shake. _Here we go,_ Sam thinks as he places his hand on the handle. Though before he can act Dean grabs his shoulder pushes him to the side. Dean then acts as a barrier, placing his body between the door and Sam.

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Dean screams.

Sam moves to the front of Dean and faces him head on.

"I wanted to see if Lina was okay," Sam responds matter-of-factly.

"There's no way I'm letting you near that monster!" Dean shouts.

Sam casts his eyes downward. _He just doesn't get it_.

"Do you hear yourself?" Sam asks through clenched teeth, "Do you even realize what you're saying? Why is she a monster? All I see is a college student." Dean stares ahead emotionless, but Sam continues forward anyway.

"Has she killed anyone Dean? I don't think so. How about you? You've killed people. Wouldn't that make you more of a monster than her? And what about me? I can hear her thoughts. I have premonitions about the future. I'm unnatural. Doesn't that make me a monster?"

Dean stares past Sam with a blank expression.

"You're not a monster, Sammy," Dean whispers.

Sam opens his mouth retaliate, but he falls silent when he hears a faint sound on the other side of the door.

"I know what a monster is," Lina's voice whispers.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Sam inches forward at the sound of Lina's voice, but Dean moves to the center of the door, completely blocking the entrance.

"I just want to hear what she's trying to say," Sam says with a sigh.

Dean's eyes dart between the door and Sam. After a few seconds he moves over a little bit, allowing Sam to press his ear against the door.

"I promise I won't hurt you," Lina's small voice shakes, "I just want to talk."

Sam turns to Dean in response.

"She may be able to help us," Sam tries.

"How? By killing us?" Dean shoots back.

"I know about the spirit," Lina pleads.

Sam widens his eyes and nods his head in the direction of the door. Dean's eyes twitch as his conflicting emotions collide. After some time, Dean's shoulders drop and he reaches behind himself. He pulls his gun out and then nods to Sam. Sam nods in return as he backs away from the door. With his gun ready, Dean grasps the handle.

"Three, two, one," Dean whispers. Then he swings the door open.

Sam rushes in behind Dean and gasps when he sees Lina lying on the floor. He lunges forward to go to her aid, but Dean throws his arm up in defiance.

"We're playing by my rules," Dean states.

Lina rises into a sitting position and rubs her arm, which appears red and scratched. She looks to Sam and offers a tired smile. Sam's stomach turns as he takes in Lina's pale complexion and bloodshot eyes. _Something's wrong_ , Sam thinks.

"I wasn't expecting you guys to barge in, I guess I didn't get out of the way fast enough," she mumbles with a small laugh.

"Lina, are you okay?" Sam asks genuinely.

"What do you know about the spirit?" Dean interrupts. He moves in front of Sam and points the gun at Lina.

Lina shrinks away from Dean's malice and slides to the wall furthest from him. She wraps her arms around her knees and coughs quietly before speaking.

"I don't know much I'm afraid. I didn't even know ghosts or spirits existed until yesterday, but I have no other way of explaining what happened," Lina pauses and coughs again, "After you drugged me, I was still faintly conscious for a few minutes. I heard a voice speak to me. It said, 'You don't belong here. If you leave, don't come back.' I barely opened my eyes and saw the silhouette of a man walk into the water and then vanish. I know you think I killed Denise, but I didn't. I couldn't. That man though, I know he's the culprit." Lina raises her chin and looks at Dean with feverish eyes. "He's the one who drowned Denise."

"The spirit could have drowned Denise, thinking she was Lina. In the middle of the night it would probably be hard to tell the difference between them," Sam adds to back up Lina's conclusion.

"Yeah I know," Dean mutters, "The mermaid didn't kill Denise."

"So you believe us?" Sam whispers incredulously.

"Of course the spirit drowned Denise, all the facts point to him," Dean says in an obvious tone.

"What? Why didn't you say this before?" Sam nearly screams. Dean turns to Sam while still keeping the gun trained on Lina.

"That doesn't mean… Lina isn't dangerous." Dean starts, "Or have you forgotten the real reason we went to the college in the first place." Sam opens his mouth to counter Dean's statement, but Lina's voice interrupts his anger.

"Um, why would the spirit want to kill me?" Lina asks quietly.

"Because you're a mermaid," Dean states bluntly.

"What?" Lina says before quietly coughing again. Sam quickly jumps in before Dean adds any more hostility to the situation.

"You see we believe the spirit is Jeremy Flanders. He was the former owner of a fishing company, called Ocean Delicacies which used to be located on your college campus."

"What are you doing?" Dean spews, "Don't tell her everything."

"She needs the whole picture," Sam objects before turning his attention back to Lina.

"Flanders' insisted that his father was killed by a mermaid. We believe he is haunting the school grounds and enacting his revenge on any mermaid he comes in contact with. Unfortunately Denise…" Sam's sentence trails off.

"Everyone always thought Denise and I were twins," Lina says slowly putting the pieces together, "Oh god… She's dead because of me."

Sam swiftly maneuvers around Dean, and reaches Lina before his older brother can react. He places his hand on Lina's shoulder and speaks softly.

"Lina, Denise's death is not your fault. Please don't blame yourself," Sam pauses and looks at Dean before continuing, "Trust me."

Dean sighs and drops his aimed gun.

Lina nods slightly. She turns to speak to Sam when she suddenly falls into a coughing fit. Sam subconsciously moves his hand from her shoulder to her back in comfort. After her coughs subside she rests her forehead on her knee. Sam can feel her trembling under his touch. Now up close Sam can see Lina's complexion. Her skin is not only pale, but incredibly dry – dry to the point that it is flaking off on her clothes. _What did Bobby tell us…? Water._ _She needs water_. Sam turns to his brother.

"Dean, she needs water." Sam demands.

"Like a glass of water or a bath?" Dean replies. Sam turns to Lina for the answer.

"I need to swim," she says quietly, "I'll die otherwise."

"How long will you last?" Dean asks with a blank expression.

"Probably only a couple of days. Also since I've been out of the water for nearly two days, taking a bath won't help. I need to swim somewhere. Like the ocean or a lake."

"Dean we have to drive her to the ocean right now," Sam says as he rises. He helps Lina to her feet and supports her. He begins walking towards the exit when Dean moves in front of him.

"No," Dean states. Sam takes a step back in surprise, but his moment of stunned silence is short-lived.

"What do you mean no!?" Sam screams.

"Can I speak to you privately for a moment?" Dean says calmly.

"Fine," Sam huffs in annoyance. He follows his brother to the entrance of the panic room and leans in when Dean begins speaking.

"I don't want to bring Lina to the ocean because she can easily escape."

"She needs to swim!" Sam replies instantly.

"I realize this. That's why we're going to burn the bones of Jeremy Flanders, and deliver Lina back to her college. Okay?" Dean answers quietly.

Sam thinks about retaliating, but he knows his brother's plan is the best deal he is going to get. If they can quickly eliminate Flanders' ghost, Lina can be back at her college by tomorrow. Judging by her appearance they need to hurry.

"Fine, we're skipping our meeting with Flanders' girlfriend then. We need to burn his bones as soon as possible," Sam pauses as a sudden thought occurs and then continues speaking hesitantly, "Flanders does have bones, right?"

"Yeah, he wasn't cremated," Dean says with a devious smile, "And I know exactly where he is buried."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Ocean Memories," Dean says to the air as he looks at the entrance to the graveyard. The metal gate is rusted and eroded. The doors swing in the ocean breeze, barely staying connected to the hinges. "They need to do some serious maintenance around here."

"Well the ocean air tends to erode things," Sam mutters under his breath as he pushes past Dean. He is still annoyed at his older brother's treatment of Lina. How could Dean disregard someone's wellbeing like that? It is just wrong.

Sam stomps forward and analyzes each headstone. He shines his flashlight at the worn slabs.

"Flanders, Flanders. Where are you?" Sam mumbles to himself. He is starting to lose hope when he sees a small tombstone covered with overgrown weeds. Sam pushes the weeds aside and smiles to himself in victory. Though his victory is short-lived when he reads the first name.

"Benjamin Flanders," Sam throws his head back in disappointment, "This is Jeremy's father." Sam stands up to leave when he notices a small quote engraved on the side of the stone.

"Forgive those who hurt you the most," Sam whispers as he reads the quote, "That's odd."

"What's odd?"

Sam falls backwards and quickly muffles his surprised gasp. He shoots Dean an annoyed look for startling him before offering an explanation.

"I just think it's odd that Jeremy would engrave this specific quote on his father's grave. Clearly Jeremy is not choosing forgiveness by seeking revenge on behalf of his father. It just doesn't make sense."

"I don't know, but I found Jeremy's tombstone on the other side of the graveyard," Dean responds.

"Really?" Sam replies, "Why would Jeremy's grave be so far from his father's? He seemed pretty close to his father considering the trouble he's going through in the afterlife."

"Why don't we review the technicalities later? We have bones to burn," Dean says to Sam as he hands him a shovel, "And I'm not doing it on my own."

…

Sam throws his shovel aside as Dean pries Jeremy's coffin open. A pile of cobweb filled bones presents itself when Dean finally forces the coffin open. Sam offers his arm to Dean and helps him out of the hole. Once Dean is secure, Sam sprinkles the remains with salt and Dean squirts gasoline on it.

"Alright that's enough," Dean says to Sam. Sam sets the salt and gasoline aside as Dean lights the match.

"Adios Flanders," Dean mumbles. Then he throws the match in.

The bones immediately catch on fire and illuminate the night.

"Alright, let's fill this grave up and head back to Bobby's house," Dean says after the flames have subsided.

Dean picks up his shovel and starts shoveling dirt back into the hole. Sam remains still though, lost in thought. After a few moments Dean realizes that he is the only one shoveling. He drops the shovel and looks at Sam.

"Dude, I'm not going to do this by myself. Get over yourself," Dean says in annoyance.

"It's just… don't you think that was too easy?" Sam murmurs to the ground.

Dean's angry stance dissipates when he realizes that Sam isn't angry with him.

"What do you mean? We found Jeremy's bones and burned them. What more do you want?" he asks in confusion.

"I expected Jeremy to show up when he realized we were disturbing his grave," Sam replies and lifts his head to look at Dean, "It just seems off."

Dean looks at Sam warily, picks up his shovel, and continues filling the hole.

"Is this a I-think-something-is-going-to-go-wrong-feeling or a psychic-vision-premonition-feeling" Dean asks after a couple of minutes of silence.

Sam shovels alongside his brother. He pauses when Dean asks him the question and drops his shoulders.

"I don't even know anymore," Sam answers quietly. Dean immediately zones in on Sam's change in demeanor and stops shoveling too.

"What do you mean?" Dean asks slowly.

"Are you…" Sam stops and turns away from Dean before continuing, "Are you ever afraid of me… Afraid of what I can do?"

Dean remains quiet for a moment and then begins shoveling again.

"Nope, not at all," Dean finally answers, "Now start shoveling."

Sam does not fully believe Dean's words, but he follows them anyway.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

"Come on Lina, stay with me," Sam whispers urgently.

He carries Lina out of the panic room and dashes out the front door. He rushes to the Impala and secures Lina in the back seat. Just moments ago, Sam and Dean returned from the graveyard. They were going to make some food for themselves and Lina, but after seeing her appearance they scrapped the food and rushed to save her.

As Sam fastens Lina's seatbelt he cannot help but cringe at her appearance. Her blonde hair has lost its sheen, and her skin is so pale that it appears translucent. Her bloodshot eyes can barely stay open, and dark circles rest under her glassy orbs.

"It's going to be okay, Lina," Sam says softly.

He reluctantly leaves Lina's side and moves to the passenger's seat next to Dean. Once he shuts the door Dean shifts into reverse and speeds out of Bobby's driveway.

"Is she saying anything to you?" Dean asks Sam after they have driven for a couple of minutes.

Sam knows Dean is referring to Lina's telepathic abilities.

"No, not a word," Sam answers truthfully.

Dean turns his head and checks the back seat quickly before focusing on the highway again.

"She's still alive, right?" Dean asks nervously.

Sam turns around and checks Lina's pulse. A slow, dull thud greets Sam's thumb.

"Her pulse is weak, but she's still with us. Don't worry Dean. We're only about a half hour away from her college. She'll make it."

Dean shifts in his seat uncomfortably and focuses his eyes intently on the road.

"I wasn't worried. I was just… curious about her present state," Dean replies nonchalantly.

Sam smiles to himself, but decides not to push Dean any further. Of course Dean cares, he is just too hardheaded to admit it.

Thanks to Dean's speeding they make it to the college in less than twenty minutes. It is almost one in the morning when they cruise into the campus parking lot. They decide to park in a spot furthest from the buildings.

"Okay, let's try to do this as inconspicuously as possible. The last thing we need is someone seeing us removing an unconscious girl from our car," Dean whispers to Sam as he steps out of the Impala.

Sam nods his head in agreement and opens the back seat door. He gently shakes Lina's shoulder, but she remains unresponsive.

"Lina, we're here. We're back at your college," Sam whispers.

Lina still doesn't reply.

"Shit," Sam whispers to himself. He unbuckles Lina's seatbelt and lifts her up.

"She's not responding to anything Dean. We need to get her to that lake now." Sam says urgently.

"Okay, okay. C'mon let's go," Dean responds.

Fortunately, Sam and Dean make it to the lake without running into any college students. They head to Lina's usual spot and place her belongings under a tree.

"So uh…" Dean starts, but then clears his throat and looks out at a point in the distance, "Do we have to, you know… undress her?"

Sam's face immediately heats up, and he looks down at Lina's unconscious figure. _Crap, I didn't think about that_.

"Uh, I guess so. We'll leave her shirt on. We just have to… take her pants off," Sam cringes has he speaks.

"Damn Sammy, I haven't seen you this flustered in awhile," Dean laughs.

"Shut up," Sam mutters as he turns his scarlet face away from Dean.

Just as Sam is reaching for Lina's pants she stirs slightly and coughs. Sam drops his hands and sighs in relief. _Thank god_.

"Lina, we're at the lake. Do you think you can undress yourself and go in the water?" Sam asks hopefully.

"Mhm," Lina mumbles as she immediately pulls down her pants.

Sam gasps and stumbles backwards. He quickly scurries a few feet away and turns his back towards her. Sam feels a slap his back and turns to see Dean's eyes laughing.

"You're such a saint, Sam," Dean whispers.

Sam shoves Dean in response and crosses his arms.

"I was being courteous," Sam responds. He is about to give Dean a lesson on morals, when a splash behind him grabs his attention.

"Lina?" Sam asks as he turns around.

Lina is not on the shore anymore though. Sam rushes to the edge of the water and looks over the lake.

"Do you see her?" Dean asks as he scours the lake too.

"No, I–," Sam abruptly stops and grunts in pain at the sound of Lina's voice.

 _ **Thank you, Sam. I'm okay now.**_

Sam shakes his head to clear the uncomfortable feeling and steps backwards.

"She's fine," He says to Dean, ignoring his brother's troubled expression.

"Well, we're good then, right?" Dean replies, "The case is solved."

"Yeah," Sam says slowly.

Dean stares at Sam for a couple a moments longer and then shrugs.

"Let's go then," Dean finally says. He grabs his belongings and walks away from the water. Sam follows his brother.

"It's over," he whispers to himself as he gazes at the lake. Though all his instincts scream otherwise.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

The Impala is silent as Sam and Dean drive back to Bobby's house. The early morning rays are beginning to light the road. Sam stares out the passenger window, lost in thought.

 _Something's not right_ , Sam thinks. Without realizing it he begins drumming his fingers against his knee. Lina is back at her college, she is healthy again, and Jeremy Flanders' ghost is gone. He should feel relieved. So why does he feel so on edge?

"SAM!" Dean screams.

Sam jumps, startled at Dean's voice, and bangs his head on the ceiling of the Impala. He quickly assesses his surroundings for danger. After he finds no such danger, Sam rubs the top of his head and responds to Dean.

"Dude, what the hell?"

"I've been saying your name for the past two and a half minutes. What's wrong with you?" Dean asks.

Sam shrugs and looks out the window again.

"I don't know… Something doesn't feel right," Sam finally answers.

Dean sighs and grips the steering wheel tighter.

"I hate when you say things like that," Dean says through gritted teeth, " _What_ doesn't feel right?"

Sam exhales and answers truthfully.

"Everything. This whole case."

"That really narrows it down," Dean snorts.

"I think…" Sam starts, "I think we should talk to Jeremy's ex-girlfriend."

"Why?" Dean asks in a confused tone.

"Things aren't adding up," Sam replies with determination, "And I have a feeling she has the missing pieces."

Dean responds to Sam with a sigh. He shakes his head as he performs an illegal U-turn and heads in the direction of Flanders' ex-girlfriend's house.

"I'm becoming too soft," Dean whispers in defeat.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

"Thank you so much for understanding Rebecca. I'm sorry we had to postpone." Dean says with a charming smile.

Flanders' ex-girlfriend, Rebecca, who now looks to be in her sixties, smiles wide at Dean. Her hair is dyed a deep red and is pulled back in a messy ponytail. Her eyelashes are heavily mascaraed and her lips sport dark rouge. She places a hand on Dean's shoulder and pulls him into the house.

"No problem at all honey. I'll gladly help _you_ in any way I can," Rebecca says devilishly.

Sam tries to hold back a laugh as Dean's smile immediately vanishes. Dean looks back at Sam with fear, which further increases Sam's desire to laugh.

"This way dear," Rebecca coos as she leads Dean into a sitting room and then gently pushes him on a sofa. Her hand lingers on his arm for a moment, and her fingers dance gracefully down his arm. Sam cannot hold back the small laugh that escapes his lips, but he quickly conceals it with a cough. Dean's not fooled though and sends daggers at Sam with his eyes.

"I'm going to make some tea for you boys and then I'll be right back," Rebecca says. She smiles once more at Dean and then exits the sitting area. Dean sighs loudly and sinks into the couch.

"I guess I'm too handsome for my own good," Dean says wistfully to the ceiling.

"Well then use your "looks" to get us some information," Sam snorts while using air quotations around the word 'looks.'

Rebecca returns with three cups of tea and a tray of cookies. She places the snacks on a coffee table at their feet and sits in a chair across from them.

"Now what can I do for you?" Rebecca asks Dean, "You said you went to high school with Jeremy?"

"Yes, we both did actually," Sam answers.

Rebecca looks at Sam for the first time since they entered her house. Her eyes travel up and down Sam's body. She then locks eyes with him and speaks with authority.

"I find that a little hard to believe considering you both look to be in your twenties."

Sam's heart falls and he inhales through his nose. _How could we be so stupid?_ Dean falters momentarily, but quickly recovers. He grabs one of Rebecca's cookies, takes a bite, and smiles widely.

"Wow, these cookies are delicious Rebecca," Dean mumbles as crumbs fall out of his mouth.

"Thank you dear. I put a lot of effort in buying them at the supermarket," Rebecca replies sweetly.

Dean swallows loudly and then continues talking.

"I'm sorry, my brother here is a bit confused. Our father is actually that one who went to high school with Jeremy."

"Mhm," Rebecca nods.

Sam can tell that she is still not convinced. He opens his mouth to support Dean, but she holds up her hand.

"Listen boys, I'm not stupid. I knew you were lying the minute you called me…" she pauses as if a sudden thought occurred to her and continues in a fast-paced tone, "You're with the police right? You're looking for Sally."

"Yes," Dean exclaims. Sam watches as his brother leans over to get another cookie and purposely knocks over a teacup. Dean instantly jumps up and retrieves the fallen cup.

"I'm so sorry," he apologizes.

"It's fine dear, let me get a towel," Rebecca says as she rushes to the kitchen. The minute she is out of eyesight Dean leans over and whispers quickly to Sam.

"Sally is Jeremy's younger sister"

"Jeremy had siblings? Why didn't you tell me? We should be interviewing her." Sam whispers angrily.

"I tried to tell you. Anyway, she disappeared after her father's death. I couldn't find any recent address or phone number. Also she didn't attend her father's funeral, which I thought was strange," Dean immediately falls silent as Rebecca reenters the room with a towel in her hand. He signals with his eyes for Sam to ready his fake badge.

"Why didn't you just tell me that you were cops in the first place? Don't you think going undercover is unnecessary?" Rebecca asks.

"We found that people tend to divulge more information if they feel a connection to us," Sam answers quickly.

Rebecca sighs loudly as she begins to mop up the mess.

"I felt so bad for them. Their father was such an awful man," Rebecca murmurs.

Sam's eyes widen and he turns to find his brother wearing the same shocked expression.

"How is Sally?" Rebecca asks still looking at the cloth in her hand, "Do you know where she is?"

"Sally was living in our community for a while. One day she just left, leaving most of her belongings behind. We looked into her past and found that she had a connection to you." Dean explains.

"We were hoping you could help us," Sam adds hating the way he has to lie to her. She looks so vulnerable.

Dean whips out a fake sheriff badge, and Sam follows his suit.

"She was reported as a missing person yesterday," Dean continues.

Rebecca deflates into her chair with a distant expression on her face.

"I dated Jeremy in my twenties. We were together for five years actually. I saw Sally a lot. I babysat her all the time when Jeremy had to work at Ocean Delicacies with his father. She was only ten when Jeremy and I started dating. I saw her grow up though, and I considered her my sister. Too many times she came to my home with bruises. She always shrugged them away, saying that she fell at school or something. Jeremy finally told me the truth though. Their father abused them," Rebecca pauses and wipes a tear from her eye.

"There was no police record of abuse," Dean replies in shock.

"They never turned him in. Jeremy was very loyal to his father despite the constant beatings. He looked up to his father. Sally on the other hand was different. As she got older she began turning to drugs to cope, and as you probably know she ran away at age sixteen after her father died. I haven't seen her since."

"What about Jeremy ma'am? How did he react after his father's death?" Sam asks gently.

"He was destroyed after his father died. I think he snapped. After all he was the one who found his father's body. He began painting symbols in a shed near the factory. He kept telling me he was trying to protect people from his father, specifically girls for some reason. He said his father was still alive and if he painted these symbols it would keep him away. He wanted to make sure no girl went near the factory. So he sold the land to be developed into an all boys school," Rebecca shakes her head before continuing.

"He was suffering from PTSD. He was traumatized from his father's abuse and from finding his father's body. I-I had to break up with him. He no longer cared about me anymore. All he cared about was protecting people from his father. Poor boy…"

 _ **SA–**_

Sam inhales sharply, but tries to remain composed.

"Are you okay, dear?" Rebecca asks.

Dean turns to Sam with the same question in his eyes.

"Yes, I'm okay. Sorry," Sam replies.

Rebecca looks past Sam with glazed eyes.

"I'll never forget the day Jeremy pulled his father's body from that lake," Rebecca whispers.

Dean chokes on the tea he was drinking, and falls into a coughing fit. With Dean incapacitated, Sam responds for him.

"The lake? I thought Jeremy's father drowned in the ocean," Sam asks trying to remain calm.

Rebecca shakes her head before replying.

"That's what Jeremy told the press. I think he knew he was going to have to sell the land eventually, and he didn't want it to be tainted by his father's death."

Sam bolts upright to his feet.

"Thank you for all your help miss. I think we've gather enough inf–," Sam's sentence is cut short again as Lina's voice fills his mind.

 _ **HELP**_

Her voice is louder this time. He staggers on his feet and nearly falls to his knees. He feels Dean's arms hold him up. Sam stands there breathing heavily for a moment before the feeling passes.

"You good?" Dean asks.

Sam nods his head slightly, making sure not to ignite the pain again.

"Do you need anything?" Rebecca asks with concern.

"No, he just needs to rest. Thank you for your time." Dean responds for Sam. Sam slowly walks toward the door, and Dean follows behind him.

Sam hears Dean stop and turns around to see Rebecca holding his arm.

"Please find Sally," she whispers with tears in her eyes.

"We'll do our best ma'am," Dean responds.

Sam heads out the front door with Dean hurrying behind him. When they reach the Impala both Sam and Dean collapse in their seats.

Dean is the first to speak.

"Well shit."


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

"Come on! Move it!" Dean screams as he speeds around a car going the speed limit.

"It all makes sense now," Sam says in shock.

"Yeah, we were focusing on the wrong Flanders. God dammit," Dean curses.

"Jeremy must have put symbols in that shed to trap his father's ghost," Sam starts.

"And when the school knocked down the shed Benjamin Flanders was released," Dean finishes.

"We have to get to that college right now," Sam says urgently.

"Has Lina said anything else?" Dean asks.

Sam shakes his head and then punches the car door.

"Hey, don't take it out on baby!" Dean screams.

"We left her there, Dean. We left Lina in a lake with a murderous spirit. We should have stayed longer. We should have researched more. We should have–," Sam is cut short when Dean punches him in the shoulder.

"Stop it Sam. We did the best we could with the information we had. We'll get to Lina in time. We always do," Dean reassures him.

Sam clenches his hands into fists and stares out the window.

 _We're coming Lina_


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

The world wavers above her. The distorted moonlight is lost at the bottom of the lake. Lina attempts to swim to the surface, but her body is anchored to the lake floor. She feels harsh hands holding her down. _How did she get here? What is happening?_ Suddenly the hands clamp down on her throat. She thrashes around to dislodge the hands, but it is futile.

 _You deserve this_ , an angry voice growls

 _You killed me_

 _YOU DID THIS_

Lina's movements grow sluggish as her need from oxygen grows. Her head floats to the side, and she sees a glint of silver. Her tears mingle with the lake water as her panic rises.

 _You did this_

Lina's disoriented brain cannot form a single thought. She opens her mouth to scream, but the cold water silences her voice. A numb feeling spreads over her body. Darkness blankets her, and she feels herself losing consciousness.

 _You deserve this_

Lina feels the rough hands loosening their hold, but it is too late. Lina succumbs to sweet unconsciousness.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"No!" Sam screams at his laptop.

"What?" Dean asks immediately as he pulls into the campus parking lot once again.

"Benjamin Flanders was cremated," Sam replies in defeat.

"Whatever man. We'll figure it out later. First we better find Lina. We'll check her dorm first," Dean says with purpose. He shifts the Impala into park and turns to Sam.

Sam shakes his head and speaks quietly to Dean.

"She's at the lake Dean. Why else would she call for help?"

"Okay fine. We'll check the lake first. Let's go," Dean says.

Sam and Dean slip out of the car and head to the trees. Sam silently thanks the midnight darkness for cloaking them as they rush to Lina's enclosure.

Lina's bag and towel are hanging on the tree, but there is no sign of her. Sam rushes to the shore and looks over the lake. The stagnant water provides no clues. Dean walks to Sam's side with Lina's pants gripped in his hand.

"These are the pants Lina was wearing yesterday. I don't think she ever left this lake," Dean says softly.

"De–," Sam immediately stops as he feels something slowly wrap around his ankle. His eyes widen and he turns to his brother. Dean looks at him with confusion.

"Dean, get the rock sal–," Sam starts, but it is too late.

Sam's whole body is pulled towards the lake. Dean's fingers graze his arm, but his reaction is too delayed. Sam crashes into the cold water. The temperature drops as he is pulled into the depths of the lake.

 _You helped the mermaid_

 _You deserve this_

Sam's heart stops as the angry voice fills his head. Sam opens his eyes in the darkness. Nothing is visible except Benjamin Flanders. His large calloused hand is clamped around Sam's ankle. He has shoulder length hair and an unkempt beard. His pale skin glows in the water, and a large scar is visible on his forehead. Once they reach the lake floor, Benjamin Flanders shoves Sam against the ground. Sam shakes his head to clear the ringing in his ears and notices Lina beside him. He reaches for her, but his hand is immediately shoved back to his side. Sam's lungs are beginning to burn. He does not struggle though, knowing he needs to conserve his energy. He turns to face Flanders when he notices something silver embedded in the ground next to him. _Could it be iron?_ Sam thinks. He slowly reaches for the object; careful to make sure Flanders does not notice him. Flanders places his hand on Sam's chest and pushes down.

 _Why would you help this monster?_

 _She killed me_ , Flanders whispers menacingly

 _You're like Jeremy_

 _He betrayed me too_

Sam's fingers clench around the metal object.

 _You must die too_

With all the energy Sam has he swings the metal item at Flanders. The item cuts through Flanders form and causes him to disappear.

 _Thank god. It was iron_ , Sam thinks, _We have to get out of here. Flanders will be back soon._

Sam attempts to move his limbs, but his body is too heavy. The dark water flowing around him makes it feel as though he is suspended in the night sky. _Is this what it feels like to fly?_ Sam thinks. Sam grips the cool metal of the object and is jolted back to reality. _Come on Sam, focus_ , he thinks. He attempts to move his arms again, but the slight movement causes ripples of exhaustion. Sam opens his mouth instinctually for relief. Though instead of fresh air, cold liquid fills his lungs instead. Sam sputters under water, but his panicked cries are lost to the depths of the lake. Sam can feel his lids growing heavy as his will to fight dissipates. _I'm going to die_ , he thinks.

 _Dean_ , Sam weakly calls to the water.

 _Help me_


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Lina slowly wakes from unconsciousness. She shakes her groggy head, feeling as though she has been asleep for centuries. She brings her hands to her face and wipes her tired eyes. _Wait a second_ … Lina thinks. She gasps when she comes in contact with her dark purple tail. _I'm underwater_. That's when she notices a dim light next to her. _What is that?_ She reaches her hand out and grazes what feels like human skin. She reels backwards in shock. _What the…?_ Lina leans in to get a closer look. Her eyes widen. _Sam_.

 _ **SAM!**_

Lina sends her thoughts screaming, but Sam does not even flinch. _Oh no_. She quickly wraps her arms around him and attempts to bring him to the surface. She struggles as his large body weighs her down. She kicks her tail with all her might and finally breaks the surface of the lake.

"Sam!"

Lina looks for the source of the voice and sees Dean on the shore with a shotgun. She freezes instinctually at the sight of the weapon and considers diving back into the safety of the water. She watches Dean follow her line of sight to his gun. He immediately drops the weapon and shouts to Lina.

"Hurry!"

She looks at Sam's blue tinged lips and speeds to the shoreline. Once she reaches the shallow end of the lake she kicks her tail against the ground sending her and Sam sailing towards land. Lina lands harshly, using her body as a buffer between the ground and Sam. Dean rushes over and rolls Sam off Lina.

"Hey Sam. Sammy," Dean speaks anxiously as he taps Sam's cheek.

Dean places his fingers on Sam's neck to feel for a pulse. Lina watches Dean's body go rigid and his eyes become glassy.

"Not today Sammy," Dean mutters angrily.

He places his hands on Sam's chest and begins to perform CPR.

"Come on," Dean whispers desperately.

Dean's movements become more violent as time passes. Lina watches helplessly as Sam remains unconscious. Tears begin streaming down Dean's face as he pounds Sam's still figure.

"You can't do this to me. You're not allowed to leave first," Dean says through his frenzied breaths.

Dean begins to lose energy and his pumps become less forceful.

"I can't do this without you," Dean whispers almost too low for Lina to hear.

Suddenly, water erupts from Sam's mouth and he begins sputtering for air. Dean quickly moves Sam to his side as he vomits the liquid from his lungs. Sam's whole body shakes as he gasps for air. Lina sees Dean quickly wipe away his tears before he faces Sam again.

"Sam, you good?" Dean asks while supporting Sam's back.

Sam gasps for a few more minutes before offering Dean a shaky thumbs up. Dean stares at the sky and sighs in relief.

Lina can't help but smile at Dean's relief.

 _It's over_ , she thinks, _We're safe_.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Sam's lungs are on fire. He needs to tell Dean that Flanders is still out there, but he cannot seem to take in enough oxygen to speak. He tries to convey through his eyes the situation, but Dean does not seem to understand. Sam raises his arm and hits Dean.

"Dude…" Dean pauses and then continues speaking in confusion, "Sam, what's wrapped around your arm?"

Sam slowly brings his tired eyes to his arm and sees that the iron object he used against Flanders is a locket. Sam twitches his shoulders into shrug.

"I-ron-n," He croaks.

"Iron," Dean whispers to himself.

"I think I saw that at the bottom of the lake. It was near where the spirit took us," Lina adds.

"So Flanders is still out there, huh?" Dean says to Sam.

Sam weakly nods his head in response.

"Wait, you didn't get rid of the ghost?" Lina asks with terror in her voice.

"Unfortunately Flanders was cremated, meaning we can't salt and burn his bones," Dean explains as he brings a duffel bag over. He props Sam against a tree and continues speaking.

"Instead we have to find the object that is keeping Flanders tied to the Earth and burn it. Sam used iron against him, which should keep him away for a little bit. Here's some salt," Dean says as he begins handing Lina a package. He freezes momentarily seeing her tail, but then gives it to her anyway.

"Salt is like iron, it'll keep the spirit away for a littler bit, but won't destroy it completely," Dean finishes.

Sam watches Lina open the salt with shaking hands as she looks around anxiously. Dean puts a rock salt bullet in his shotgun, and stands in front of Sam.

"He should be back any minute," Dean whispers.

As if on cue Sam feels something grab his torso and throw him into a tree. He lands on the ground with a thud.

"Sam!" Dean screams.

Sam hears commotion around him, but is unable to lift his head. He lies on his side with the locket tightly wound around his arm. That is when Sam notices that the locket is open. He brings the picture close to his face so his weary eyes can focus. His eyes grow wide as he takes in the small family of three. A tall man with a beard stands in the middle with a teenage boy on his right, and a young girl on his left. The man in the middle has a very distinctive scar on his forehead.

"Flanders," Sam whispers.

He raises himself into a sitting position just in time to see Dean shoot Flanders with the rock salt. The ghost dissipates like a cloud of dust.

"Dean," Sam rasps as he holds up the open locket.

Dean turns to Sam with alert eyes before focusing on the locket. He gasps and rushes forward.

"Is that…?" Dean asks in astonishment.

"It's Flanders," Sam confirms as he tosses the locket to Dean.

Dean rushes over to Lina, who is now on her legs again, and snatches the salt from her. He then throws the locket on the ground, pours salt and gasoline on it, and pulls out his lighter. He quickly lights it and throws it on the chain.

Sam gasps as Flanders erupts in flames behind Lina. She stumbles away and watches in both awe and terror. Flanders screams as his body is consumed. The trees surrounding Flanders are tinted with an eerie glow, and harsh shadows dance around his disappearing form. After about thirty seconds he lets out one last blood-curdling cry, and then rises with the smoke into the sky.

For about five minutes the three of them sit on the ground in silence catching their breath. Lina is the first to speak.

"Is it gone now?"

Sam nods his head and smiles.

 _It's really over this time_


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"Thank you again," Lina says as Sam and Dean walk to her dorm. The early sunlight is peaking through the clouds, and Sam notices that dorm lights are beginning to turn on for morning classes.

"You're welcome," Sam replies. He is still weak from his near drowning experience and is relying heavily on Dean to keep him standing.

Sam and Dean stop when they reach Lina's dorm building.

"Well I guess this is goodbye," Dean says with a shrug.

Lina nods her head slowly.

"Maybe I'll see you again one day," she says hopefully.

"If you see us again, it probably won't be for brunch," Dean replies in a joking tone before turning serious, "Just… stay good."

Lina nods in acknowledgement. She kicks a rock with her shoe and then looks up at Sam and Dean. She shifts uncomfortably and stutters an awkward goodbye.

"Well, uh… bye then".

She walks up the stairs to her dorm and turns to wave when she reaches the top of the stairs. She mouths "thank you" one more time before entering the building.

"We better get out of here," Sam says after Lina disappears inside.

"Good idea," Dean agrees.

Sam limps next to Dean as they make their way back to the Impala.

 **...**

Sam exhales and deflates into the car seat.

"I love this car," he whispers.

"Hey, watch your tongue," Dean says defensively.

Sam chuckles and looks out the window as Dean pulls out of the parking lot.

They cruise back to Bobby's house with ease. Sam grins when he spots Bobby's car in the driveway.

"Hey Bobby," Sam and Dean say in unison when they enter the house.

"What happened?" Bobby questions as he takes in Sam's hunched form

"It's a long story Bobby," Dean answers lethargically.

"I just asked ya'll to watch a mermaid. How do hard could that be?" Bobby replies while shaking his head.

"Don't get me started," Dean complains as he lowers Sam to the couch.

Bobby assesses Sam's physical state and Dean's mental state, and holds his tongue.

"Why don't you boys rest? We'll talk about it later," Bobby relents.

"No problem," Sam mutters as he sinks into the couch and closes his eyes.

Sam is just drifting to sleep when he hears his brother whisper something.

"See Sammy, you're not a monster."

Sam immediately opens his eyes and looks towards Dean. Dean is sitting with his arms crossed and breathing deeply like he is asleep. His face is upturned and his eyes are closed.

Sam smiles, closes his eyes again, and utters a single word in return.

"Jerk."

* * *

The End ~ Thank you so much for reading! :)


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